Good news - it's something we all need a little (or a lot) more of these days. One of the wonderful things about working at VolunteerSpot, is we see good news every day - YOURS! Our volunteers are doing wonderful work for a variety of schools, community groups and nonprofits, and our simple volunteer software is helping them do it more efficiently and with less hassle. We'd like share good news and uplifting stories by putting our volunteer leaders in the Spotlight -- Today we’re speaking with Elin Ross of Cakes for Cause.
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Please tell us a little about yourself and about Cakes for Cause.
Cakes for Cause is something I've been thinking about for a number of years, since I worked in the child welfare system in the 1990's. It's important to me, that as a community, we address the real transitional needs of youth as they age out of the foster care system because otherwise they have difficulty as adults and ultimately we all pay for that. Our success to date has been to establish Cakes for Cause as a new non-profit in Frederick, MD, to develop a comprehensive job training curriculum for our youth apprentices, and to establish ourselves as a popular retail bakery. At this point, we are waiting for construction to be completed to launch our 6-month apprenticeship program. We anticipate that our retail doors will open in the middle of September.
What are your volunteer needs at Cakes for Cause?
We have used volunteers in a number of critical ways as we're developing the project. Volunteers helped us write our business plan, apply for 501(c)3 tax status, they help us with our graphics and marketing materials and they are the staff for our farmer's market booth every week where we sell our baked goods. Our goal with each volunteer is to meet them where they are and to provide them with an experience that benefits them as well as us.
How did you get interested in volunteering/nonprofit work?
I began volunteering myself when I was in Junior High School; I went to a nursing home every week and played bingo with the residents. As part of my Master's program, I began an internship at an international organization. It turned out that the founder of that program also had a US-based child welfare program that I ultimately ended up working for on-and-off for the next 15 years or so.
What's one piece of advice you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?
For volunteers...understand the limits of the nonprofit organization and how much they have to give you. They are usually looking for volunteers because they don't have the time to do the task themselves. Your service is valued and important to them, so the more professional and independent you can be, the easier it is for the organization.
For volunteer leaders...figure out what it is that the volunteer is looking for -- recognition? emotional connection? community service hours? And figure out if you can provide it to them. If you can't, then send them somewhere else so they don't feel like they're wasting their time and get frustrated. Figure out if there are any resources in your community that can help you structure your volunteer program before you bring on volunteers.
Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?
I got an email from our local volunteer clearinghouse about it and loved the idea of the calendar because we have recurring opportunities. I can also post any number of other events on it, there's no spam associated with it, and VolunteerSpot sends a reminder so if I don't get to my own reminder, I haven't lost any volunteers. I also think I'm going to use it to organize our volunteer appreciation party this year too. It's very user-friendly and we love it and so do our volunteers.
Anything else you'd like our readers to know about your organization?
We love our volunteers and we wouldn't be the organization we are without their efforts!
Readers interested in volunteering or making a donation to Cakes for Cause, please learn more here: CakesforCause.org.
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We salute Elin Ross and all the volunteer heroes out there everyday making our communities better places to live! If you're using VolunteerSpot, write and tell us about what you're doing, and give us a chance to shine our Volunteer Spotlight on you!! Just email us at [email protected].
